Gregor and the Overlander Invasion
by Gyltig
Summary: Five years after the conclusion of the Prophecy of Time, an earthquake hits New York City. During the earthquake, the Central Park entrance was revealed to the world after the stone covering it was destroyed. As Overlanders descend into the Underland, Gregor acts as a mediator between both sides in an attempt to stop a disaster in the making.
1. Chapter 1

Five Years Later

...

New York City

...

A small child ran across the grass, a gleeful smile on her face. Her eyes wide with joy, she chased a small grasshopper, trying to catch it. Suddenly, she stumbled and fell to the ground, her head hitting the dirt. She began to bawl, and her mother rushed over. "What happened? Are you okay?"

Looking back towards the father, the mother yelled "Get bandages!" She began to brush the dirt off her daughter's wound when she noticed a small crack in the dirt where her child had fallen. The crack slowly began to widen, and the earth started to tremble. A large slab of stone came loose, revealing a gaping hole in the ground. All around her, the world began to shake.

The mother didn't hesitate. She grabbed her daughter and ran, only one word upon her lips.

"Earthquake!"

...

Virginia

...

Gregor lay on the ground, staring up at the sky. A airplane passed overhead, so high up in the sky its shape was hard to make out. The wind rustled the grass around him. Life buzzed all around him, bees flying from flower to flower and the sound of bird's chirping filled the air. A small farm lay behind Gregor, about 100 meters back. Sunlight illuminated the entire landscape. He let out a deep sigh. It was beautiful out today, but even so his thoughts were about a sunless land many miles below New York City.

It had been five years to the day since he had said his last goodbyes to the Underland. Five years since Bane's claws had torn his chest open, leaving permanent scars. Five years since his bond, Ares, had died. Five years since he had left her.

It was all so long ago, but the pain remained. His friends at school didn't understand why he suddenly went quiet at times, or why he refused to wear anything that didn't cover his arms, legs, and chest completely. They didn't understand the pain that was always present in his eyes. They didn't understand. He clenched his fists.

About a month after leaving the Underland, his grandmother had suddenly died, her ill health finally getting the better of her. It had been a time of grief; family from all over the country had flown to New York for the funeral. And after the funeral was over, his mom packed the family's bags and moved them to the family farm in Virginia without a second thought.

Gregor never felt as comfortable in Virginia as he had in New York. The big city scene suited him better, he supposed. The farm was too quiet, too sheltered from the tragedies of the world. He isolated himself at school, having only a few friends and barely passing most of his classes. Not that he tried anyways. The only club he did was band, and even that he didn't take too seriously. He spent most of his energy honing his rager abilities and his echolocation in an remote area after school.

As for his sisters, Boots (who now went by Margaret) had completely forgotten about the Underland. Lizzie, on the other hand, did have memories of it, but only happy ones. She did have a desire to go back but it wasn't anywhere near as strong as Gregor's.

His thoughts returned to the Underland. He wondered how she was doing. She'd be Queen by now.

Gregor sighed, and shook his head. He wouldn't let his thoughts linger in the Underland like he had during the first few years. He slowly pulled himself to his feet, not wanting to be outside any longer. He walked back towards the farm.

Much like the land around him, the farm itself was quite scenic. It had been in his family for generations, and had an old-time feel to it; the barn bright red with a bit of white, with wooden fence surrounding the entire property. Next to the barn was the small house where his family lived, colored white. It had a shingled roof and a long front porch, western style.

Going up the few steps to the doorway, he opened the door and walked inside. Without even bothering to take off his shoes, he walked into the kitchen to grab a snack. But as he walked in, he heard noise coming from the connecting living room. Curious, Gregor walked into the living room.

There, his dad sat on an old rocking chair, watching the TV, the only modern electronic device other than a telephone in the house. But what captured Gregor's attention was what the TV was currently showing. A newsman was speaking.

"...small earthquake hit the city of New York yesterday, damaging Central Park and a few of the surrounding buildings lightly. Minimal damage, no casualties. However, the earthquake did dislodge a large stone slab in Central Park, which apparently covered a large tunnel leading down into an earth. Where this tunnel leads is unknown. Currently, the police have the area on lockdown and are sending explorers down into the tunnels. We will report back once we have more information. Meanwhile, the weather..."

"Gregor?" his mom asked. She appeared in the doorway behind him. "I hope you're not thinking of doing anything involving the Underland."

He looked at his mom in anger. "The Underland will soon be discovered by the modern world, people are in danger, and the first thing out of your mouth is 'I hope you're not thinking of doing anything?'!?"

"Of course!" she fired back. "I'm worried about you. I don't want you to get involved with- them- again. You've done more than enough for those people. Please, stay here and have them deal with their problems on their own for once."

Gregor became as cold as ice. "That's what you don't understand, mom. It isn't 'them' and 'me'. It's us. I felt more at home down there than I have anywhere else, not on this farm, and not even in New York. The Underland is where I belong, and they are in need of my help. I need to warn them." He stormed away to his room, slamming and locking the door behind him. He needed to start packing.

...

New York City

...

Helena Morten was a cave explorer and the youngest member of her team, which consisted of two police officers, two elder explorers, and herself. Her heart was beating fast in her chest. She was so excited! To be offered this once in a lifetime opportunity to explore the newly discovered cave system beneath New York was a true blessing!

This was the biggest thing that'd happened to her since she had left Montana for good and came to the big city. For awhile, she'd been desperately trying to find work to get her career off and running. She'd always had a fascination with caves and anything underground really. She bounced a little with every step, ignoring the strange looks she got from other members of her team.

They were quite deep underground, miles even maybe, when they reached a dark pit with currents of air coming up out of it. Peering down the hole with her flashlight, she saw nothing but darkness. She turned back to her team excitedly.

"Who knows what this leads to? Who knows what could be down there? We must tell the authorities immediately, and get a team down there and start exploring!"

...

Hey everyone, thanks for reading! This is my first fanfiction, please don't flame, but constructive criticism would be appreciated :)


	2. Chapter 2

...

Virginia

...

"Gregor, you open this door right this instant! You're not going anywhere!" his mom yelled furiously, pounding on the door.

Gregor didn't respond, but continued to shove clothes and other supplies into his bag. Before now, he had respected his mother's wishes. He knew where she was coming from- she only ever saw the worst of the Underland. But now, the entire Underland was in danger, and he was in a position to help- yet his mom was forbidding him from going. Any argument he could make to his mom would go in one ear and out the other. She cared about him, not his home. Finished packing, he swung his bag over his shoulder, opened his window and started to climb out; only to be immediately confronted by his dad.

"Gregor, let's talk about this inside alright? I'll try to calm her down."

Gregor shook his head, dubious. "I don't think that's going to work. You know how she is."

His dad shrugged. Unlike both Gregor and his wife, he had kept a level head. "We should at least try, right? And do you really expect to be able to leave right now? You won't make it far on foot."

Gregor sighed. His dad was right, he couldn't leave like this. He had acted rashly. Gregor needed to come up with a new plan of escape, so by the time they found out he was gone, it would be too late. "Fine, I'll talk. But I'm still going to leave."

He pulled himself back into his room and shut his window. He threw his pack on the ground and took a deep, calming breath. Bracing himself, he unlocked the door and swung it open to reveal his mom, who was absolutely fuming. But then, she did something that took Gregor completely by surprise. She hugged him.

"I just... I just don't want to lose you again." she said, her voice broken. Her finger absentmindedly traced over one of the scars on his wrist. "I know that if you go back down there I might never see you again." Her voice hardened again. "So you're not going, and that's that."

Gregor slowly withdrew from her hug. "Let's go work it out with dad, alright?" As he guided his mother to the living room where he knew his dad was, he noticed that she was crying.

...

Many hours later, everyone was sleeping. Nothing had come from the discussion earlier, as expected. The only thing his mother had agreed to do was to send a warning note to Mrs. Cormaci to give to the Underlanders through the grate in the laundry room. Gregor already knew that wouldn't be enough. When the Overlanders and the Underlanders first meet, they'd have no common ground, no go-between. Gregor could be that, as someone who had lived in both worlds.

As much as Gregor regretted sneaking off in the night after agreeing not to leave after the compromise was made, he had to. He had tried his dad's way first; and now, he was doing it his way.

He slung his backpack over his shoulder and walked into the living room. There his mom sat, on the sofa, with the light still on; however, she had fallen asleep. There was no doubt in Gregor's mind that she had tried to stay awake to make sure he didn't do exactly what he was doing now. He looked at her for a second. She was so peaceful when she was asleep.

Gregor walked past her, out the front door. He left a simple message on the counter:

I'm sorry mom, I had to go. I love you now and always. Don't come after me. Your son, Gregor.

...

New York

...

Helena Morten was furious. How dare they take her job away from her? She was the one who had discovered the pit with the strange air currents in the first place!

"I'm sorry," the head explorer told her. "We thought that a situation like this would be a good way for you to learn more about what it means to be a cave explorer. But climbing down a pit like this takes a lot of experience, experience you do not have yet. So I'm afraid we'll have to leave you behind."

"But sir!" She pleaded. "Just give me a chance! One chance! If I mess up, you can send me back to the surface!"

The head explorer looked her straight in the eye. "If you mess up, you're dead. I don't want to hear another word about this. Leave."

Helena gave him the best death glare she had and stomped out. What would she do now? Go back to the University and learn more about caves, hoping for another opportunity? There was no way she was doing that.

She wasn't going to go away quietly. This was her discovery. She had flown across the country to start a new life. And then right as things were looking up for her the situation flipped. They kicked her out of the expedition; these explorers were going to take credit for the discovery along with all the fame and money that came with it. She was not letting anyone do this to her. Not again.

She clenched her fists. When were the other explorers going to head down the pit? Tomorrow morning? The equipment to lower themselves down the pit was arriving tonight. And suddenly, a plan began to form in her mind.

...

Darkness had fallen by the time Helena began her plan.

Technically, she was supposed to have left Central Park hours ago, by the command of the head explorer, but she had been able to extend her time by saying she needed to "pack her things". Well, to be fair, she did pack.

She now had a backpack full of things she thought she might need down in the pit. Food, flashlights, first aid. She had to be prepared for anything.

Helena was currently crouched behind a large tree, peering towards the main part of the explorer's camp, where the supplies she needed would be delivered any moment now. But as the hours crept on she began to grow impatient. Her plan couldn't fail because of this. Helena sighed and leaned her back against the tree in frustration, ready for the long night.

It was 5:15 AM when the supplies finally arrived according to her watch. She hadn't realized she'd been asleep until the sound of trucks pulling up snapped her awake. Large men climbed out of the trucks, carrying giant boxes. They carried the boxes over to the center of the encampment, and got back in their trucks and drove away; all in the space of about five minutes.

Making sure no one else was about, she creeped forward and stole the supplies as quickly and as quietly as she could. Helena grinned when she took the gear; there were only three sets of gear remaining now that she had stolen one, which meant the explorers would either have to wait for more supplies or leave a person behind. She headed down into the tunnels.

Her headlamp illuminated the way ahead of her as she hurried along. The tunnels seemed much creepier now that she was alone in the darkness, without help or companions.

It was 6:00 now. The other explorers would be beginning to wake and would soon enough notice the missing gear. Helena wondered what kind of punishment she'd receive for stealing the gear; something severe, she imagined. Which meant she needed to find something truly incredible down in the pit to make it all worth it. She rounded a curve in the tunnel and there was the pit.

There was only one thing left to do before she began. With one end of the rope already attached to a device on her chest, she tied the other end around a large stone. This rope would catch her if she fell. Approaching the edge now, she began her descent.

...

Regalia

...

Queen Luxa looked out over the city of Regalia, her expression unreadable. Not much time had passed since a devastating earthquake had destroyed much of the city. Countless workers below her fixed the wall around Regalia, repaired the houses, and reopened the markets. She knew that the Underland was at peace now, with all of the main species having an alliance, but with the walls destroyed this was the most serious crisis she'd had to face in her reign as of yet.

Absentmindedly, she wondered if the Overland had been damaged by the earthquake as well. Wondered if Gregor had been injured by it.

She heard Mareth approaching long before he reached her. After his injury many years ago, his leg had had to be amputated and he now relied upon a cane for support. The sound of the cane tapping on the stone steadily grew closer until he was right behind her. "Queen Luxa," he rasped, "I have news."

"What is it, Mareth?" Luxa asked.

"I wished to inform you that the reconstruction of the wall is going along smoothly."

"I am pleased to hear that. Tell the workers that their hard work shall be rewarded."

"Very well, your majesty." Mareth bowed. But he stayed put, prompting Luxa to ask if there was anything else he wanted to tell her.

Mareth hesitated, a look of extreme tiredness and grief on his face. "Vikus no longer has time."

...

Many thanks to Vengeous and Clytuis (Guest) for the reviews!


	3. Chapter 3

...

Virginia

...

"He's gone, Grace." Gregor's father said, looking at the note his son had left on the counter. "Our son is gone."

"I know," she said, her voice hollow. Grace sat on the couch with her arms wrapped around her knees, her eyes staring off into the distance. "He went back to that place, the place that ruined his childhood and took you away from me for almost three years. We have to go after him, James."

James moved to sit next to his wife on the couch and put his arm around her. "What about Lizzie and Margaret? Who'll look after them while we're gone?"

Grace opened her mouth, then closed it again, at a loss. Then she saw the look her husband was giving her and she knew what he was going to suggest. "No," she instantly protested. "I'm not staying home while you go get our son. I can't lose both of you." Her eyes were pleading.

"Then what are we supposed to do?" James asked. "There's no relative that lives close enough who can look after the kids. We can't afford to hire a babysitter. And we certainly can't leave the kids here alone, or bring them with us."

Grace hesitated. "You're right."

There was a pause.

"Mom?" Lizzie asked, entering the living room. "Why are you crying?" Grace wordlessly handed her daughter Gregor's note.

After Lizzie finished reading the note, she was crying too. "I can't believe Gregor's gone. I miss the Underland too, but I can't believe he just left like that." Her expression hardened. "Mom, I'm thirteen now. I can take care of Margaret. You and Dad go after Gregor."

"Out of the question." Both Grace and James said in unison.

"Then what if you leave both Margaret and I with Ms. Cormaci?" Lizzie suggested. "She always used to look after us when we were younger."

James faltered. "It's been five years, and we haven't kept in touch. I have no idea if she even still lives there, but I suppose we could always give her a call."

...

New Jersey

...

The bus jerked beneath Gregor as it moved down the highway.

It had been hours since he had left Virginia and his family behind, and the sun was now high in the sky. He regretted he had had to leave his family the way he did. He hoped they didn't come after him.

He found it hard to believe it really had been five years since he'd been to the Underland. His time in Virginia had never felt real- he always had to pretend to be someone who he wasn't. A normal kid. He had to hide his scars and fake a medical condition to get out of P.E. Gregor had to pretend that he hadn't seen genocides, fought in wars, and that he hadn't seen his bond die before his eyes.

Down there, he wouldn't have to pretend anymore. He could see everyone again. He could see her. Gregor's last memory of her was as clear as day. Her standing half-emerged from the entrance to the Underland, her silvery-blonde hair glowing in the moonlight. Their final kiss goodbye. His dad rolling the stone back into place, separating them and their worlds once again. He wondered if she still remembered him after all this time.

Gregor shifted in his seat on the bus. Even though he had left his own family to go back, he didn't exactly have positive feelings for the Underland. The war had broken him in ways no one should be broken. He hasn't been able to laugh at anything since before the war. When Gregor reads in the news of a mass shooting or some other tragedy, he feels nothing. When other people cry, he doesn't. When other people walk happily down the street, he checks behind him to make sure no one's following him.

Not to mention that even though he had befriended a lot of Underlanders during the war, all of them had used Gregor in one way or another. Those accursed "prophecies" had led to the end of his childhood. Although one could argue that his childhood had truly ended when his dad had disappeared.

Regardless, though, his friends were in danger and he had to help them, no matter what. Gregor turned around and stared out the window, admiring the view of the ocean. Just then, the loudspeaker came on and the bus driver spoke. "We are now in the final part of our ride. If you look out the front windshield now, you can see the skyline of New York City."

Gregor leaned forward and peered out the front window. Sure enough, the city was on the horizon. He was almost home.

...

New York City

...

The darkness was suffocating.

Helena had been slowly descending into the pit for over an hour now, and there was still no sight of the bottom. She was beginning to worry that her support rope wouldn't be long enough. If it wasn't long enough then she'd have to go back up empty handed. A cold fear set in her heart.

The upward winds from the pit had only gotten stronger as she went on, making it harder for her to keep her rope steady. Maybe the head explorer was right; she was too inexperienced for this. Helena shook her head and slammed her fist against the wall. She had to keep her head clear if she was going to survive this.

Helena froze and stared at where her fist had hit the wall. Cracks spread everywhere, spiderwebbing up and down the wall. She only had time to cover her head with her hands before stones came showering down upon her, slamming her against the wall, and she felt more rocks ricochet on her back. The support rope came loose and she was sent plummeting into the darkness.

The stones fell faster than she did. Bleeding from a dozen different wounds, Helena screamed, knowing she probably only had a few more moments to live. But curiously, she felt herself begin to slow down. After minutes of falling, the bottom of the pit came into view below her. She landed on a pile of stones lightly. Helena sat up and turned on her flashlight, scanning her surroundings.

Three tunnels lead away from where she was currently. The one on the right seemed the safest, while the other two seemed dark and Helena could've sworn she heard shrieking noises coming from the left tunnel.

Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself. Her wounds were minimal; Helena was fairly confident she could walk. As her father always said, when in doubt, follow your gut. She pulled herself to her feet and headed down the right tunnel.

...

Note: I took the liberty of naming Gregor's father James because I have no idea what his actual name is in the books. If anyone knows his real name, please tell me!

Many thanks to Vengeous for the review! To anyone else who might be following this story, I'd really appreciate it if you gave me some feedback :). It'll help me improve not only this story, but also my skills as a writer. Even just a few words would be helpful! See you all next chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

...

Regalia

...

Luxa stood on the shore of the river, dressed in black. Almost every species in the Underland was represented in the crowd behind her. Her grandfather Vikus had touched many lives during his long life as a diplomat, and now they gathered to pay their respects after his death.

A single tear rolled down her cheek. Vikus had always been there for her, unlike anyone else but her first bond, Aurora. He was her chief advisor in times of need. She remembered what a mess she was after the War of Time and Gregor's departure. Luxa had hardly left her room for a year. It had been Vikus who had been able to pull her out of her misery and helped her become the queen she needed to be.

Luxa recalled the words Vikus had said to her then. "I am not asking you to move on. I do not want you to. Keep those you lost close to your heart, and keep strong for those who still remain. I know it is unfair to ask that of you, but it is your duty as Queen- to be strong when those who surround you are not."

She looked around. Many of those she cared about still remained. There was her second bond, Ripred, sitting off to the side, unusually quiet and somber. There was her cousin Hazard, who had fallen to the ground bawling his eyes out. There was Aurora, Howard, Temp, Mareth, and all the others. Vikus was just as right as he had been all those years ago when he led her out of the darkness. Everyone else could afford to be weak, but not her. She was Queen.

The crowd parted silently. Four Underlanders bore Vikus's casket on their shoulders. A small boat was pulled up on the shoreline just a few meters in front of Luxa, and the Underlanders gently laid Vikus's casket in the boat. One of the casketbearers, a woman, approached Luxa solemnly with a torch. "Do you want to-"

"Yes." Luxa said abruptly and took the torch from her hand. She walked slowly towards the boat and stared down at the casket. She fought the urge to break down, feeling everyone's eyes on her. "You were like a father to me," Luxa whispered. "You were my foremost advisor. I will do my best to honor your memory." She paused. "I will miss you." Unable to bear any more, she gently lowered the torch into the boat and lit the mast on fire.

Luxa slowly pushed the boat out onto the river, the flames already beginning to spread. She stepped back onto the beach and watched the boat drift into the distance, burning bright. She heard a commotion behind her and she saw Hazard running down the beach. "No, Grandfather, don't go!" Tears streamed from his eyes.

Luxa quickly caught up to her twelve year old cousin and wrapped him in her arms. "It will be okay." She said, as Hazard continue to bawl. "It will be okay," she said, mostly trying to convince herself now. "It will be okay." Together, they watched their grandfather slowly disappear into the distance.

...

New York City

...

Gregor skirted around Central Park. The entire area was on lockdown due to the discovery. News crews had their cameras pointed at the park 24/7. There seemed to be some sort of commotion in the park; people were running around frantically and tents were being searched. He wondered what had happened but he realized he didn't care. If they were in disarray, that meant that they would be delayed getting down to the Underland, which meant he had more time to warn Luxa.

New York City hadn't changed much since Gregor had last seen it. The streets were just as dirty as they always had been. Strangers rushed by, hurried, with their eyes down. Back in Virginia, everyone knew each other and would always call out to say hello to their neighbors. Gregor found he preferred New York in this regard; this way, he didn't have to interact with people as much, which meant he didn't have to be fake as often.

He began to recognize the streets as he drew closer to his old home. Gregor wondered if Mrs. Cormaci was still there. He shook his head; even if she was, he wasn't sure he should talk to her. She might try to prevent him from going back down to the Underland.

Gregor rounded the block and there was the old apartment building he used to live in. Taking a deep breath, he entered the building and rounded the corner to where the community laundry room was. And to his surprise, it was occupied. There Mrs. Cormaci stood, putting her clothes into the washer. He quickly stepped back around the corner and out of sight.

It took him about five seconds to come to a decision. Either he would have to wait two hours for Mrs. Cormaci to be done with her laundry and risk his parents catching up to him- if they were pursuing him- or talk to Mrs. Cormaci and somehow get by her. He chose the later option.

"Mrs. Cormaci?" Gregor said, re-entering the laundry room. "Is it you?"

Mrs. Cormaci squinted at him. "My, is it you, Gregor? It's been a long time. Come here." she said, and hugged him. Gregor hugged back for a few moments before they separated.

"What brought you back to New York?" Mrs. Cormaci asked. She hadn't changed one bit; she still knew how to get right to the heart of a conversation, Gregor thought. Gregor opened his mouth to speak but Mrs. Cormaci interrupted him. "Don't bother to lie to me. I know you're going back to the Underland." Gregor closed his mouth. She continued.

"I won't stop you from going down there again, Gregor, but I do think you're making a mistake. Sometimes, you have to learn to let go. Mr. Cormaci never learned to let go and he died plagued by nightmares. I see you haven't learned either, because now you stand before me, alone, underaged, and obviously in a rush and desperate. Your parents don't know do they?"

Gregor shook his head. "No, they don't. But are you really saying I should let go of all I care about down there?" he said, beginning to get angry.

Mrs. Cormaci shook her head. "I'm not. I'm saying you should learn to not let it shape who you are, Gregor. There's a lot of people who care about you, in the Overland, who care about you as well. Don't let all your energy go to one place; you have to be strong for everyone in your life. By doing so you're abandoning your family, who need you just as much as the Underland does."

She took a deep breath. "Mr. Cormaci was never able to be strong for me or our children again after the war. It never crossed his mind that maybe he wasn't the only one suffering. So please, stay with me until your family comes for you. I'm sure they're quite worried."

Gregor was beginning to get furious. After the War of Time, he had found that emotions impacted him less than others. But now Mrs. Cormaci, his old neighbor and someone who knew about the Underland, was accusing him of being selfish? His words all came out in a rush.

"Look. Don't you dare call me selfish. I put my life on the line to save Regalia. I spent five years looking after a family that took me away from the one place I truly felt at home at because they needed me. But now, the Underland needs me more. They will be encountering Overlanders by the hundreds soon. Who knows what could happen? There will need to be a mediator in this situation. No other person is more fit to be the peacekeeper between the two sides- I've lived in both worlds. Please don't call me selfish; I really am trying to do what is best for everyone."

Mrs. Cormaci looked at him intently. Gregor had absolutely no idea what she was thinking, her face expressionless. "I see arguing with you is futile. Even if I stand here for an hour trying to convince you stay, you wouldn't, would you?"

Gregor simply nodded in confirmation.

Mrs. Cormaci sighed. "As I said, I won't stop you. Do as you please. You've heard my opinion." She stepped out of the way, revealing the laundry grate. Gregor stepped towards it and pulled back the grate, revealing the dark pit which lead to the Underland. A cool breeze blew up from the pit. Gregor knew it was safe to fall now. He put his feet through the grate and right as he was about to drop, Mrs. Cormaci spoke once more. "Gregor."

"Yes?" He asked, looking over his shoulder.

"Any message you'd like me to give to your family if they happen to drop by?" She asked simply. Gregor paused.

"Tell them... tell them I'm sorry. And that I love them. And... tell them not to come after me." Taking a deep breath, he turned back to the pit and looked down into the darkness. Luxa. Ripred. Mareth. Vikus. He could almost hear them calling out to him. He was almost home. Gregor let go of the grate and plunged into the darkness.

...

Author's Note

Hey everyone, just some things to say after this chapter!

\- This is the only chapter that visits two locations instead of three. This is intentional- tell me why you think this is in your reviews! (It is also intentional why each chapter is split into three parts, but the reason for that will not become clear until later).

\- In response to Clytuis (Guest)'s review: Yes, you are absolutely right that the Central Park entrance should have opened up above the Waterway! I hope you all can forgive me for such a blatant mistake.

\- Everyone, I have good news and bad news! The good news is, I am currently working on a cover for this fanfic and it should be up shortly. The bad news is, on the 25th, I'm leaving on a month-long backpacking trip! As fun as it will be, it means I can't update :/ so I'll have to take a month-long hiatus. I really am sorry to do this to you guys. I'll make sure to have Chapter 5 up before I leave though, and we'll see if I can squeeze in Chapter 6 :)

-Please tell me if this chapter is up to par with my previous ones. What did you like, what did you not like? I can take criticism :)

And, as always, many thanks to those who reviewed: Vengeous, Hugh (Guest) and Clytuis (Guest)!


	5. Chapter 5

...

Tunnels Outside Regalia- Helena Morten

...

Helena was in a predicament. After she had landed at the bottom of the pit, she headed down the rightmost tunnel. The problem was, after five minutes of walking, she found her way blocked by a giant pile of rocks. The tunnel must have partially collapsed due to the earthquake, Helena presumed; that or the tunnel had been like this for quite some time. Regardless, she was stuck. Waiting for other explorers to come down the pit was still not an option, which meant she had to choose one of the other tunnels. Sighing, she headed back to where she had started.

Helena looked at the left and middle tunnel in turn. The left tunnel had stalagmites on the bottom of the tunnel, which looked quite sharp and deadly. The middle tunnel, however, seemed deceptively normal- except for the strange sounds that came from it. Looking back and forth one more time, she decided that she was more likely to die by tripping and falling on the stalagmites in the left tunnel than she was to die to whatever was causing the noise. She headed down the middle tunnel.

Moving slowly and carefully, she progressed down the tunnel. Minutes turned into hours and Helena began to doubt she had taken the right path, but it was far too late to turn back now. Different tunnels branched off on either side of her but she continued following the path she was on. All the meanwhile, the noises were getting louder. It almost sounded like... extremely bad and garbled English. Fear seized Helena. Had one of the explorers somehow made it down here before her?

The tunnel suddenly ceased narrowing and opened up into a large cavern. The second she stepped into the cavern, the noise abruptly stopped. It became unnaturally quiet, the only sound being the sound of her breathing. If Helena was scared before, she was terrified now. "Hello?" She called out, her voice echoing. More silence. She swung her light from left to right, scanning her surroundings, and when she looked to her right-

"AAH!" She screamed, jumping back a foot, tripping, and falling on the stone floor on her butt. Because barely a meter from her, sat two giant moles. They were bigger than any she had seen before by a long shot, easily twice the size of her car. Scrambling away, heart beating fast, she pressed her back against the far wall.

The moles had a similar reaction, both moles moving backwards and away from her so fast, her eyes couldn't follow. Helena attempted to calm herself down. From what she remembered of moles' behavior, they were mostly solitary creatures and it was rare they came together in groups; also, that they were mostly peaceful creatures and only fought when it came to defending their territory. And judging by their reaction to her, they weren't hostile.

Just as Helena was getting over her shock, one of the moles took a small, cautious step forward. "Killer..." it said, in garbled English.

Had they just spoken... No way, she thought. Her brain was playing tricks on her.

The mole continued. "Why... you here?" This time, Helena knew without a doubt that the mole had spoken. Her eyes rolled back into her head, fainting from the shock, and her world went black.

...

Tunnels Outside Regalia- Gregor

...

After landing at the bottom of the pit, Gregor soon learned two things. One was that the normal path to Regalia was cut off due to falling rocks from the earthquake. Secondly was the fact that someone else had been here recently. A few drops of fresh blood were splattered across the stone floor. Whoever had been here before him was obviously injured, and the scent of blood attracted the worst types of creatures in the Underland. Gregor knew that the injured person would not last long. Pity swelled in his heart, but he knew there was nothing he could do now.

Gregor knew from a meeting with Vikus long ago that the middle tunnel led into the Uncharted Lands, while the left eventually looped around and opened up near Regalia. The tunnel was not often used because of the stalagmites growing out of the floor, but he didn't have much choice now. Gregor headed down the left tunnel.

His progress was tedious. He had to go slower than he liked to avoid tripping and killing himself and he estimated, at this rate, it would take him many hours to get to Regalia. Sighing, he let his mind wander as he continued his journey.

Thinking back to earlier, he thought about Mrs. Cormaci. She seemed distinctly different than she had five years ago. While she was initially quite confrontational and rude, she quickly backed down after he had made his argument, which Gregor found strange considering the emotion behind her words. Was her reason for giving up really because she thought the argument was futile? Gregor didn't know. He shrugged; Mrs. Cormaci had always been a mystery to him and he doubted he would ever understand her.

His thoughts moved towards the Underland. Seeing the tunnel to Regalia collapsed had led to him to wonder what other damages the earthquake might have caused to Regalia. Strangely, he had never considered the earthquake and its potential effect on the Underland; he had been so preoccupied with the Overlanders discovering the entrance. He hoped Luxa was okay.

Looking forward at the many stalagmites ahead of him, Gregor realized how defendable this tunnel was. The rats, or any other creature that tried to attack Regalia through these tunnels would either have to be prepared to walk for hours without any cover, or find a different route. Meanwhile, the Regalian defenders could simply fly over all the stalagmites, and when the time was right, move in for the kill...

 _"I've got to get closer to take him out!" Gregor shouted._

 _"Hold on!" Ares said, and engaged in a spinning maneuver that brought him closer to the Bane. But something about their positioning, something about their proximity to the Bane was off._

 _Fear seized Gregor. "Get out Ares! Pull back!" But it was too late. There was a smile on the large white rat's face as he snatched his bond from the air._

...Gregor stumbled from the memory, reaching out and grabbing a stalagmite to steady himself. It had been five years since his bond had died and his death still haunted him. Blood trickled down his hand as the sharp edge of the stalagmite dug into his skin, but Gregor hardly noticed. A single tear trickled down his cheek. Why did those memories have to come back now, of all times, when he needed to help those still alive and get to Regalia? But now that the memory had been triggered his mind kept going over it, the scene replaying in his mind. It was his fault. If he hadn't ordered Ares to get closer to the Bane, maybe he'd still be alive today.

"I'm sorry, Ares." Gregor whispered to himself. "I'm sorry."

...

New Jersey

...

James gripped the steering wheel tightly as he drove down the highway. It had been hours since the entire family had gotten in the car and started driving to New York.

After Lizzie had made her suggestion to call Mrs. Cormaci, they wasted no time in doing so. To their surprise, she picked up on the second ring and instantly agreed to watch after the kids while they went down to the Underland. Lizzie had gone and woken up Margaret after the phone call, and after everyone packed, they left, which brought them to now.

For the most part, the ride had been completely silent, the tension heavy in the air. James was mad at his son for abandoning them like he did; but he had been able to calm himself somewhat, understanding his son's reasoning. Didn't mean he wasn't worried out of his mind though.

Grace, however, was absolutely fuming. James could tell from her expression and the way her fingers kept twitching. She always did that when she was angry. He smiled, recalling old memories. He and Grace had been high school sweethearts and had been together ever since- James knew every one of her odd quirks and mannerisms.

Shaking his head, he took the exit off of the freeway and into New York City. Taking a back road to avoid the traffic, he drove as fast as he could without going over the speed limit. The sooner they could get to Gregor, the better. He pulled up at the old apartment complex and Mrs. Cormaci was waiting for them outside.

"Mrs. Cormaci!" Margaret said happily, jumping out of the car and running up and hugging her. "It's been too long!"

Mrs. Cormaci gave a small smile and hugged Margaret back. "Agreed. I've missed you, Boots. How have you been?"

Margaret huffed and stomped her foot. "I'm not Boots anymore! I'm Margaret!"

She chuckled. "I should have known you would outgrow that nickname. Forgive me, dear."

Margaret turned her head away. "Hmph!"

James and the rest of his family got out of the car. "Nice to see you again, Mrs. Cormaci. How have you been?"

She shrugged. "I'm getting older. I could be better."

James laughed. "I know the feeling. Anyways, I appreciate you being willing to look after the kids while we're gone."

Suddenly, Mrs. Cormaci's expression changed from one of happiness to one of sorrow. James noticed the difference immediately. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"I'm sorry." she said. "I can't let you go. They threatened me."

James's eyes widened. "What do you mean..."

Mrs. Cormaci raised her arm into the air and made a gesture with her hand. Officers rushed out from both the inside the building and the neighboring alleys to the apartment complex, and surrounded James and his family. An officer spoke into a megaphone. "Freeze! Put your hands where I can see them."

His heart was racing. What was going on? Why were they being arrested? James spotted Mrs. Cormaci over the row of officers, tears streaming down her face.

"I'm sorry," she whispered as the officers handcuffed her old neighbors and took them away.

...

Author's Note

Hey everyone, thanks for reading! Some things to say:

-Sadly, I got a little behind in my writing and this is probably the last chapter that will be posted before I go on my month-long hiatus. But expect a chapter almost immediately after I get back!

-Did you guys notice this story has a cover now? I hand-drew it myself :). The lighting is kinda weird in the photo I took of it; the picture is much better in person, trust me. I might try to get a better photo of it at some point. Tell me what you think of the cover, and what you think it means!

-I did my best to give some insight on how the Gregor in my story deals with his memories and emotions. He had buried the memory of Ares along with his guilt, but the slightest reminder of Ares and his final fight with the Bane brought all those feelings back and it completely unraveled Gregor. He doesn't even notice himself bleeding. Please tell me what you think of this!

-Also, tell me what you guys think about the ending twist with Mrs. Cormaci. Some of you might be upset by what I've done with her character, but trust me, there's an explanation for her actions coming next chapter. Give me your theories on why the officers arrested Gregor's family and why Mrs. Cormaci betrayed them!

-By the way, longest chapter yet :)

And lastly, many thanks to those who reviewed, Vengeous and Clytuis (Guest)!

Until next time,

Gyltig


	6. Chapter 6

...

New York City

...

James sat behind bars, at a loss. His hair was a mess, his eyes bloodshot, small marks on his wrists from where the handcuffs had dug in too deep. It was fair to say he hadn't been having the best of days.

First, he woke up to find his son gone. After gathering the family, they all drove to New York City, to the old family apartment. They were then greeted by Mrs. Cormaci and the police, who then arrested them for no apparent reason. James remembered the pure terror on Margaret's face as she realized Mrs. Cormaci had betrayed them. He clenched his fists.

He remembered how they had then separated him from his family and shoved him inside the police car. He remembered seeing Lizzie on the verge of a panic attack out the back window as he was driven away. A tear fell. And now he sat, in a prison cell, as he had been for hours, waiting for someone to come and offer him an explanation.

A voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "Come with me," a burly officer ordered, opening up the door to his cell. "You have a visitor."

James took a deep breath. This could only mean one thing; that Mrs. Cormaci had come to talk with him. He couldn't imagine any other visitors as Gregor was in the Underland, while the rest of his family was stuck in a jail cell somewhere. He knew he had to keep his calm, no matter what the woman had done; she was his only chance of getting answers. James followed the officer to the visitor room, after he was handcuffed once more.

When he arrived in the large, empty, white room, two people sat there on small white chairs waiting for him. One person he was not surprised about- Mrs. Cormaci. Her eyes were red and puffy as if she had been crying. James hostility towards her grew; she had no right to be crying in this situation. The person next to her, however, James was not expecting. It was the current FBI Chief.

James sat down in the chair across from them, more wary now. This man had risen to the top of the FBI for a reason. He was known for his interrogation skills and intelligence. "Mr. Barwell, sir," James said, addressing the FBI chief, "Why are you here?"

Mr. Barwell smiled slightly. "Well, you certainly deserve answers after all you've been through. I am here because I wish to inform you of your situation."

James sunk in his seat a bit. "Thank you, sir. It's been a long day."

The FBI Chief patted him on the shoulder. "Well, no need to make it any longer. Mrs. Cormaci, why don't you tell him why you did what you did?"

Mrs. Cormaci shook slightly, her eyes averted towards the ground. "I saw the earthquake on the news and knew that the Overlanders would soon discover the Underland. I- I knew that if the discovery was handled the wrong way, then there could be conflict. With all the fear in the country as of late over immigrants and foreign countries, how would the citizens of America react to a sovereign nation right underneath one of their largest cities?" She paused, her voice trembling. It was rare to see Mrs. Cormaci so shaken. "I decided to report the issue to the FBI."

James couldn't argue against her reasoning, but that didn't explain why he and his family had been arrested. Almost as if he sensed Jame's confusion, Mr. Barwell spoke. "At first, we didn't believe her. She then led a few of our undercover agents back to her apartment and showed us the entrance in the laundry room. Our agents were certainly surprised to say the least, but they were still unsure of her story. But that all changed when she gave my agents this." He reached into his coat pocket and held up something small. James's eyes widened as he realized what is was. It was Ares's claw, which Gregor had worn around his neck until it suddenly disappeared one day, right before the family had moved to Virginia.

James stuttered, looking back and forth between Mr. Barwell and Mrs. Cormaci, his gaze finally settling on his old neighbor, eyes narrowing. "You stole it, didn't you?"

Mrs. Cormaci nodded, still not meeting his eye. "I did. I thought it would help him move on."

James's glare grew dangerous. "What right did you have to make ANY decision about what's best for my son, or my family? NONE!"

Mrs. Cormaci said nothing.

Mr. Barwell sighed. "I know you feel betrayed James, but she only did ever mean the best by you and your family. Remember, it wasn't her who made the decision to arrest you and your family." Mr. Barwell smiled as James went quiet. "I ordered your family's arrest because you four will be... infinitely valuable in any negotiations we have to have with Gregor in the future. After all, your son is the connection between us and the Underland, and will be center in any relations we have with Regalia."

After a pause, James laughed. A look of annoyance crossed over the FBI chief's face before he smiled, asking "What's so funny?"

James regained his composure, the pained look still on his face despite the laughter. "I guess you're not as intelligent as they make you out to be, sir."

Mr. Barwell frowned. "Excuse me?"

"By using us as negotiating material you're just going to alienate Gregor from you and further push him towards the Underlanders. I know you want to use him to help you take down Regalia, but if this is your plan then I'm afraid to say it will fail horribly." James retorted.

Mr. Barwell smiled in response, unfazed despite James guessing much of his plan, meeting his gaze directly. "Do you really think I plan to tell your son about my hostages first thing? I only intend to tell him about your... situation... when he might need a little incentive to... be on our side."

He took a deep breath. "As it is, you will be moved to a more secure facility tonight. You will be able to live in relative comfort but you will not see your family again until this... potential conflict is resolved. I hope you're grateful that I explained your situation to you. I certainly didn't have to tell you anything. I could've just let you rot in a jail cell. But I didn't, because I consider myself a just man and it would be unfair of me to give you such horrible treatment."

James did not back down. "Whatever helps you sleep at night. Say what you will, but you still tore a family apart." he said with a bit of pain in his voice. "In regards to Gregor- I think you might be in for a surprise." He closed his eyes. "Do what you will with me, sir, but you're going to lose the coming war."

...

Regalia

...

Gregor emerged from the stalagmite-filled tunnel at long last to the sight of Regalia. A single tear trickled down his cheek as he observed the glowing city, little under a mile away from his current location. After all these years, he was finally back. Quickening his pace despite his exhaustion, he headed across the long rocky plain up to Regalia's main gate, where he was stopped by two guards. "Identify yourself!" the guardsman on the right demanded.

Gregor smiled, stepping closer towards the guards so they could have a clearer view of his face. Both guards gasped. "My name is Gregor the Overlander."

The guards soon got over their shock. "Markus, call for your flier. The Warrior will need a ride to the castle."

The shorter guard nodded and called out the name of his flier. "Neptune!"

A large black flier with a single gray spot on its belly fluttered down from the top of Regalia's walls. "I would be honored, Warrior." Neptune said quietly.

Gregor stuttered. "Shouldn't I wait until I get the Queen's approval to enter the city?"

Markus chuckled. "The Queen gave explicit orders that if you ever returned you should be sent to her at once."

Nodding nervously, Gregor mounted Neptune. Anticipation gnawed at him. Neptune took off and Gregor shifted his body so his weight so it would be easier on the bat. It had been five years since he had ridden a flier and he was more than a little rusty. Luckily for Gregor, it was a short flight and Neptune was a good flier. The black bat nodded slightly in farewell and took off once more.

After being recognized by the guards at the castle, he was escorted to the council room. "Wait outside," the guard said. "The Queen is in a meeting with the members of the council right now, but we shall inform her of your arrival immediately."

Gregor stood outside for some time, heart pounding. Now that he was moments away from seeing her again doubts flooded his mind. What would Luxa think of him? Would she be mad? Would she- "The Queen will see you now," a guard stated, opening the doors to the council room. And there was Luxa herself, sitting at the head of a long table lined by members of the council.

The first thing Gregor noticed was how much she had grown. Not just in height. All hint of the arrogance and pride was gone from her purple eyes; a pale scar glistened on her cheekbone. A single tear trickled down her cheek as Luxa stared at him. "So it really is you," she whispered.

Happiness radiated through Gregor. "I'm sorry it's taken me so long."

She shook her head, wiping the tear away. Gregor saw how hard Luxa was trying to maintain her composure. "Don't apologize. I- I'm just glad you're back."

Gregor couldn't keep the smile off his face as he looked upon her. He knew they'd have time to talk more later, in private. For now, however, he had to focus on the main reason why he had rushed back to the Underland in the first place. He took a deep breath. "I am afraid, I come with bad tidings, however. The Overlander government has discovered the entrance to the Underland."

Luxa's eyes widened as some of the council members gasped. "What? How?"

Gregor continued. "After the earthquake, the rock covering the Central Park entrance was dislodged, revealing the entrance. The Overlander government has been sending down explorers and it is only a matter of time before they discover Regalia."

Luxa sighed. Gregor could almost see her force her feelings down and go into full Queen mode. "Well, I thank you Gregor for informing us. How do you think the Overlanders will react when they meet us? I know if we discovered a nation living below Regalia it would not end well."

Gregor frowned. "I'd imagine America would first pursue peace, but I'm not sure how it would work out in the long run."

"Amareeka?" a council member frowned.

Gregor mentally slapped himself. "America is what the Overlander government is called." He decided not to tell them about the other countries of the world above, as he would probably just further confuse them.

Luxa gestured to an empty seat at the table. "Why don't you sit down? We would all be interested in hearing more about this... Amareeka."

...

Uncharted Lands

...

Helena awoke to darkness. Her heart beat faster as memories came flooding back to her. She had to have been dreaming, right? Moles that size didn't exist, especially talking ones. Taking a deep breath, she reached to her tool belt and pulled out her backup flashlight. Pointing it in front of her, she flicked it on and screamed as it illuminated two large moles staring down at her. The moles flinched backwards at the noise and Helena felt herself beginning to faint once again.

"No need to be afraid. Mean no harm," the larger of the two moles said.

Helena scooted backwards on the floor until her back was pressed up against the wall. She hadn't been dreaming. "What... what are you?"

The mole paused for a second. "We diggers. Original inhabitants of Underland."

Helena was lost. "Underland? What?"

The other 'digger' spoke this time. "Before killers, before crawlers, before them all, diggers lived in this land, the Underland. Until it stolen from us. Now we live here." The mole gestured with its large clawed paw vaguely around them.

She shuddered at the word 'killer'. She definitely did not want to meet any creature with such a name. "So, you're saying you're exiled from your own home."

The diggers nodded in unison. Helena felt a twang of sympathy for the creatures. They were clearly intelligent, and no life form deserved to have its home ripped from them. Oh, how the world would react when she published her findings from the Underland. She would be the scientist of the century, as well as a hero for helping the moles reclaim their home! But then a thought occurred to her. "Why are you telling me this?"

The larger digger hesitated. "It because you are killer. But not one of bad ones. You from above and are not the Warrior. We hope you talk to killers and help diggers get home back."

...

Author's Note

I have nothing but apologies for you all. It has been wayyyyyy too long since I last updated. I just want to let you all know this story is not dead. I have been going through some personal issues as of late and that is the reason for the late chapter, even though it is not a good one. I hope you can all forgive me. Updates may be more irregular from now on, but I promise there will be no more two month gaps between chapters. On another note:

-I took the liberty of naming the FBI Chief Mr. Barwell. I did not use the name of the current FBI Chief for obvious reasons.

-I feel like the Gregor and Luxa reunion scene was a little weak. Let me know your thoughts about it in a review.

-And lastly, many thanks to all who reviewed: Vengeous, Clytuis (Guest), DeathDrayanD, CHBNewRomeHogwartsBerk, D. , and SilverAshes13!


	7. Chapter 7

...

Regalia

...

The meeting between the council members, Luxa, and Gregor was coming to an end. One of the more prominent council members, Edward, was currently speaking in his nasally voice and Gregor was finding it hard to pay attention. Edward had somehow grown more boring over the years and at this point was rehashing points others had already made. "Representatives of Regalia will be sent out to all known entrances to the Underland to greet any Overlanders who happen to make their way down. Representatives will rotate every six hours until the Overlanders arrive."

The other council members in the room all nodded with rapt attention. Luxa did her best to hide her boredom while Gregor tapped his foot impatiently. Edward continued. "Diplomacy and courtesy are key, so minimal weapons are a necessity. As such-" Edward was cut off by a loud bang as the doors to the council room swung open. Gregor smiled, seeing a familiar face. It was Ripred.

The rat had aged in the years since Gregor had last seen him. His fur was more ragged and silver, and a claw was missing from his front right paw. Ripred's eyes, however, were as sarcastic as ever. "Sorry to cut you off Edward," the gnawer drawled. "I heard our beloved Overlander had returned and I couldn't simply wait to see him."

Edward huffed. "Lord Ripred, you have a voice at this council but to barge in in this manner-" Edward cut himself off as Ripred began to much on some shrimp he had apparently had in his left paw.

Ripred noticed the councilman gawking. "What?" he said through a mouthful of shrimp. "I'm hungry." Edward was lost for words, his jaw moving up and down. Gregor laughed to himself. Even after all these years the man was still caught off guard by Ripred. Ripred, taking advantage of the silence. "Nothing more to say about my interruption? Good. Now we can return to the topic at hand." Ripred sat himself next to Gregor, winking at him. Gregor couldn't keep the grin off his face.

Luxa cleared her throat. "Ripred is correct, there is still much to discuss. Sarah, as the representative from the Fount, have you any say on this matter?"

The meeting continued on for a few more hours. While as Luxa and Gregor did their best to seem like they weren't bored, Ripred made no such attempts and by the time the meeting had come to a close he had been subject to many harsh stares from the other council members.

Luxa, Ripred, and Gregor exited the council room together. Luxa shook her head, sighing. "You should have at least tried to be polite, Ripred. This was an important meeting."

Ripred snorted. "Those fools barely know what they are doing. They were talking in circles for hours."

"I know," Luxa said, "but never the less, they hold a lot of power and it would be best, as my bond and the representative of the gnawers, to be on their good side."

Ripred rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine, I'll behave like a good little gnawer." he said sarcastically. Turning to Gregor, the rat had a rare genuine smile. "How are you? Glad to see you've ignored the fact Sandwich no longer cares about you and returned to the Underland anyways. How's Lizzie?"

Gregor laughed. "I'm just glad to be back. I missed all of you so much. As for Lizzie, she misses you but is doing well, all things considered. She's had considerably less panic attacks lately. How'd you lose your claw? I thought nothing could hurt an old rager like you."

Ripred shrugged. "I was fighting against some gnawer rebels- Bane worshippers- a few years back and I snagged my claw in a gnawer as I did my rager spin. Not a big deal. I may be getting older but I could still wipe the floor with you, boy." he smirked. Ripred continued, looking back over his shoulder. "We can catch up later. I think someone wants to talk with you." Ripred then left, leaving only Luxa and Gregor in an empty hallway.

Instantly, the mask of formality slipped off of Luxa's face as she rushed forward and embraced him. "I missed you so much."

Gregor quickly got over his shock and hugged her back. "I missed you too." They stayed like that for several more minutes before they finally pulled apart. "How have you been?" he asked.

Luxa sighed. "Being a Queen is much harder than I originally thought all those years ago. I was consumed by own arrogance, temper and pride, and that only served to inhibit me as I sought to build and repair relations with the Fount, the gnawers and even with the surviving diggers." She paused. "I believe what really began to change my perspective was the Gnawer Rebellion."

Gregor had been meaning to ask ever since he had heard mentions of it from Ripred. "Gnawer Rebellion?"

"Yes. Around three years ago, some gnawers, with the support of the diggers and cutters, marched on Regalia. The gnawers were former followers of Bane, and worshipped him as if he was their God. However, the diggers and cutters had different reasons for fighting. The cutters hate all the species of the Underland, and simply saw it as a good time to strike, when we were all at our weakest. The diggers- well- fought for obvious reasons." Luxa took a deep breath. "I failed to control the situation. I was too arrogant, too..." She trailed off.

Luxa coughed. "Long story short, war broke out. Ripred, along with a Regalian strike force, had to put the rebellion down." Luxa quivered and Gregor could tell she was on the verge of tears.

Gregor put his hands on her shoulders. "Look, I wasn't here. I don't know all the details. But, from what I remember the situation with the diggers was already unfixable, while the situation with the cutters was precarious and minimal at best. I don't believe you are entirely to blame for the situation."

Luxa smiled, still crying slightly. "Thank you for always being on my side, Gregor. But it isn't that simple."

He frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Well..."

...

Uncharted Lands

...

Helena sat in the darkness. The diggers had left hours before, giving her time to process everything that had happened. Not that her heart had calmed down one bit since. It still raced in her chest as she the large mole's face flashed in her mind's eye. She didn't know when she would be able to get over the shock of it all- everything had happened so fast. But in the meantime, she had to persevere, and gather as much information as possible for the world above. For science. For her family; for her younger sister, who had followed her to New York to pursue her own dream. She pushed herself to her feet. She would survive.

It was another few hours, according to Helena's wristwatch, before the diggers returned. They were the same two diggers from before. "Follow... me..." one said slowly. "Meet-ing."

Helena followed them through several tunnels, in near pitch darkness, relying on the dim beam of her headlamp to light the way in front of her. She dully wondered when her light would die, and what she would do when it did. Eventually, she was lead into a large, open cavern, filled with diggers.

The cavern was a giant bowl, almost shaped like an amphitheater, with diggers lined in rows at various heights going up the wall. If Helena wasn't overwhelmed before, she was now. She let out a deep breath of wonderment before the diggers urged her forward until she was in the center of the amphitheater. She felt hundreds of digger eyes upon her and sweat trickled down her chin.

A large digger emerged from a nearby tunnel to stand next to her, quickly barking off some words in a language she didn't understand. The digger audience instantly went quiet. Helena inferred that this digger was the leader and observed it for a moment.

It looked quite similar to the other moles she had met so far, with dark brown fur and large forelimbs for digging. What set the creature apart, however, was the large pale scar that went right down the middle of its face and onto its neck. When the mole spoke, it was deep and booming, but yet had a rasp to it. Helena stared at the mole in awe, wondering how it survived such a grievous wound.

The digger continued to speak for awhile, and the audience began to chant a phrase. The leader digger sat back with satisfaction as the chant grew louder and louder, and finally Helena couldn't take it any longer. Turning to the moles who had first found her, she asked what the lead digger was saying, and what the chant was.

The mole from before turned to her. "He... speaking of past, and plan for future. Says you follow diggers to meeting with cutters. The chant say... down with Killer and pawns."

...

Outskirts of New York City

...

The building James was brought to was unassuming in every manner. Colored a bland gray and two stories tall, the windows were all boarded over and paint flaked off the walls. No one would ever suspect the location to be home to a top-secret FBI base. He was escorted to the place in the dead of night by two undercover agents. Entering the building, they pulled a panel in the wall inside to reveal a keypad. Typing something into it quickly, a section of the wall folded aside to reveal a set of stairs descending downwards.

James counted about a hundred steps before they reached the bottom, where they were confronted with a large steel door and yet another keypad. After the agent on his right typed in another security code, the door swung open and James's mouth dropped open in awe.

Whatever he had been expecting, it had not been this. The room was a large lounge, set up with several couches in the center complete with small tables and lamps. Computers lined the far back wall, and small portable refrigerators were set up in one corner with a sink next to it. There were two wooden doors on both sides of the room, each labeled with a sign: "bedroom," "storage," "bathroom," and "shower".

He took a few small steps into the room, but the agents who had escorted him stayed by the door. "Your team will be here shortly. Try anything funny in the meantime and... remember, we have your family." The door slammed shut behind them as the agents walked away, the sound echoing.

James felt a shiver of dread course through him as he thought about his family and of what was to come.

...

Author's Notes

Well, it's been slightly less than a month. Still not great, but better than last time. I only hope to pick up speed with these updates. Just a few things to say:

-What did you guys think of the Ripred scene? Did he feel off to you or did I get him right? Ripred is certainly one of the more challenging characters to portray and I'm doing everything in my power to write him correctly.

-I dropped a lot of hints for what I have planned for the future in this chapter :) Let me know about some of your theories!

-As always, many thanks to those who reviewed: Vengeous, koipbuiop, DeathDrayanD, and a Guest!

-Gyltig


	8. Chapter 8

...

Regalian River

...

Gregor stood on the shore of the river near Regalia, the water lapping at his feet. Armed guards flanked him on either side but he might have well as been alone. Despair consumed his heart as memories from his past flashed through his mind. Vikus. He couldn't believe that he was... dead. Died only just before he returned; Gregor wished he could have seen him one last time, or at least attend his funeral. But he had been able to do neither.

He stared down at the objects in his hands. The hilt felt so familiar in his hand, but yet it also felt so... foreign. Sandwich's sword belonged to a man that was no longer him. The broken blade of the sword was held in his other hand, the cool metal pressing against his scarred palms.

When he thought back on it, Vikus had been the person who had gotten him to reject the identity of the warrior. It had been him who had given Gregor the hope that conflicts could be solved in ways other than violence. The sword may have belonged to Gregor, but the broken sword belonged to Vikus, who was the truest proponent of peace the Underland ever had. Gregor felt it was only right to lay the sword to rest with him. It's not like Gregor would ever swing the blade again anyways.

Gregor got down on his knees and pulled up the rocks that lined the shore until he had a sizable hole. Gently laying the pieces of the shattered blade in the hole, he reburied the sword. Gregor stood up, staring at the river for a moment and whispered to himself: "Farewell, Vikus. This is where I will think of you. You are a greater man than I will ever be." A tear trickled down his cheek and Gregor turned on his heel and walked back up the shore.

Luxa waited for him sadly at the docks. "Let's go. The council has requested our presence."

Gregor nodded and followed her back inside Regalia. The silence between them was tense. Luxa finally spoke. "I regret my actions every day. I hope you know that."

Gregor took a deep breath. "I know."

...

Outskirts of New York City

...

Little more than five minutes had passed when the metal door to the room opened again. Four FBI agents in uniform entered through the doorway. James stood up from his seat on the couch to introduce himself. The biggest of the four agents approached him first, shaking James's hand. A large tattoo of a dragon covered the left half of his face, green eyes glinting under the black ink. "It's a pleasure to meet you sir. You can call me Agent Green."

James raised eyebrows. "Codenames I see. I guess I can't expect much else."

Green shrugged. "Standard procedure. Anyways, these are my fellow teammates: Agent Blue-" a middle-aged woman with silver hair stepped forward- "Agent Black-" a petite, feminine-looking man with pure white hair waved his hand shyly- "and lastly, Agent Orange."

Orange put her hands on her hips. "Come on Green, you know how much I hate the color orange."

Green grinned. "Your fault for naming me Pink last time."

Orange just flipped her long black hair back with a humph.

James would've smiled and gone along with their antics had it happened under normal circumstances, but as it was he got down to business. "So what are you all here for? I don't think it's just for idle chit-chat." He already suspected what the answer would be but he wanted to here it from the agents themselves.

Blue gave him a blank stare. "Straight to the point then. I can respect that. We are here to observe the situation in the Underland from afar, analyzing any and all data that comes in from the field, and using your previous experiences in the Underland to our benefit."

James shrugged. "Figured."

Orange stepped forward, her seriousness contrasting her earlier playful mood. "First, however, we need to here a recount of your time in the Underland. Beginning to end. We've heard bits from Mrs. Cormaci, but we know that you didn't tell her everything you know."

James sighed. There was no use fighting it anymore. He couldn't risk his family. So he began to speak, a tear brewing in the corner of his eye. "Almost nine years ago now, I fell into the Underland through a grate in a laundry room..."

...

Uncharted Lands

...

Helena had been following the diggers in near complete darkness and utter silence for several hours when she began to hear scuttling. Her heartbeat increased. "What's that noise?" She whispered to the digger next to her.

"Those cutters. We almost there."

The surroundings gradually grew lighter as they entered a large cavern. Small stalactites hung from the ceiling, and countless tunnels branched off to the sides. Helena and the group of diggers paused in the center of the cavern as the sound of the scuttling increased. Helena began to sweat nervously.

In an instant, thousands upon thousands of ants- cutters- poured out from every tunnel. The sound grew unbearable as Helena slowly sank to her knees and pressed her hands over her ears.

The cutters formed a circle around the small group, blocking every exit. Only then did a rather large cutter step forward. To Helena's surprise, its English was quite good. "Diggers. Why are you here? Haven't we warned you countless times to stay out of our land?"

The diggers did not sense the hostility in the air as Helena tensed. "Came... to discuss alliance against killers." One spoke.

The cutter that had spoken before gave off a bizzare cackle, not unlike a laugh. "We're not interested in any such alliance. What makes you think we need you?"

The diggers grew confused and shuffled among each other. "More against killers... better?"

Helena watched the cutter pause before almost giving the diggers a pitying glance. "I'm sorry, but the answer is no. I also have orders from my Queen to rob all you diggers of your time." The cutter's tone changed as he addressed the thousands of cutters in the cavern. "Spare the killer."

All at once, the cutter army converged on the small digger party, tearing through them with ease. Helena began to tremble as the digger's blood lapped at her shoes, the corpses of those she had spoken with moments ago surrounding her.

The lead cutter approached her. "Come with me if you wish to live, killer," it sneered.

Numbly, Helena followed.

...

Author's Notes

Well, I made my monthly update goal- barely! On another note- happy (belated) Thanksgiving to all my United States readers! A few things I wanted to say:

-What did you all think of the scene with James? I'm really curious to see what you all think, as I did introduce four new OC's (granted, you guys know hardly anything about them yet)

-Helena's scene. Did I surprise you with the cutters, or was it what you expected? What do you think the cutter queen's plans for Helena are? Please let me know your thoughts in a review!

-Lastly, I know this is a shorter chapter than usual but I hope you all still managed to find some enjoyment in it.

And as always, many thanks to those who reviewed: lucastreet, dragonfire (Guest), Vengeous, and koipbuiop!


	9. Chapter 9

...

Uncharted Lands

...

Helena sat alone in the dark, the sound of scuttling all she could hear. After she had been captured, she had been lead to this cave and told to wait until the Queen called for her. No cutters were guarding her, but she knew she wouldn't make it far if she tried to escape. She had to go through countless tunnels to even get out of the cutter colony, all without a light. And if by some miracle she did make it out, she had no way of finding the diggers again and would be alone in uncharted territory. A pit of despair gathered in her stomach.

Maybe this feeling of hopelessness was what the cutters wanted her to feel. Maybe they wanted to wear her down slowly, wait for her will to crumble before they continued with whatever plans they had for her. Helena, frowned, growing determined. They hadn't killed her, which meant they needed something from her. If she didn't give in to them... maybe she could get out of this mess alive.

Hours passed. The stone walls of the cave seemed to be shrinking. Helena put her hands over her eyes and thought of her home back in Montana. The sunlit fields, the towering mountain ranges that surrounded her family's house. Her father, her sister, her mother and brother, all sitting at the family dinner table, smiling at her. It all seemed so far away now.

She pictured her last Thanksgiving meal with her family. The turkey her mother had labored hours over, the stuffing, oh the stuffing. Her stomach rumbled as she realized just how hungry she was. When had she last eaten? Or drank, for that matter? She had had a sip of water from a small underground lake near where the diggers lived, but... her last meal had been on the surface. How many days ago was it now? She had no idea. It was so easy to lose track of time underground.

Helena didn't know how long it had been when she began to chew her fingernails. Soon enough she had chewed all of them as much as she could. She had chewed one of her fingernails too far, however, and she felt a slight trickle of blood run down her finger. It stung horribly and she felt tears well in her eyes. Why did she have to disobey her superiors orders?

Helena stared at the entrance to the cave she was stuck in once more. The sound of the scuttling of the cutters, it was growing unbearable. She half thought there must be a group of them just out of sight doing it on purpose. She banged her fist against the wall in frustration, only to let out a slight scream as the stone cut into her hand.

The pain made her furious. Standing up, she howled as she kicked and punched the walls relentlessly, ignoring all the injuries she was inflicting upon herself. She hurled rocks off the ground out of the cave, the sounds of the rocks bouncing off the stone floor echoing. The scuttling stopped momentarily, and Helena regained her sanity. She stopped lashing out, and stared at her arms numbly. They were oozing with blood. She watched as her life dripped onto the floor.

Then, just as suddenly as it had stopped, the scuttling begun again.

Helena sank to her knees.

...

Regalia

...

The council room was in a flurry when Gregor and Luxa arrived. Edward saw them enter and ran over to them. "Your Majesty. The Overlanders have arrived, and they will be arriving here any moment!" Gregor's breath hitched in his throat as he heard the news. He knew it was only a matter of time before the Overlanders made it to Regalia, but he still figured Regalia would have more time to prepare.

Gregor gripped Edward's shoulders. "Remember, be nothing but kind and welcoming. The Overlanders have technology far superior to anything you have down here. They could wipe you out in an instant." Edward nodded, a little pale. Gregor would've smiled if it wasn't for the situation. It was amusing to see Edward out of words for once.

Gregor suddenly found Ripred by his side. "I'll stay out of sight for now. Wouldn't want to scare the Overlanders too early."

Gregor laughed. "Thanks, Ripred."

Ripred shrugged. "Don't thank me. Less time with the Overlanders means more time in the kitchen eating shrimp." He disappeared out of the council room door.

The council members took their seats around the table and waited tersely for the Overlanders to arrive. And finally, they did. The doors swung open and in entered the Overlanders, flanked by Regalian guards. There were two of them.

The first Overlander was a tall, darker skinned woman. She had curly black hair, but to contrast the rest of her complexion she had icy blue eyes. She wore a smile which unnerved Gregor.

The second Overlander was a man of average height with a sharp beard and goatee. He wore shaded aviator glasses, making his eyes impossible to see. His brown hair was slicked back with some kind of gel, giving it an unnatural sheen from the light of the room. But then Gregor's eyes noticed the device on his chest. He frowned as he recognized what it was. It was a body camera, very similar to the ones police wore on their uniforms nowadays.

They were being watched.

...

Outskirts of New York City

...

James's heart skipped a beat as he saw his son on the monitor. Agents Blue, Black, Green and Orange were gathered around him, watching the monitor with him. Both Overlanders who had been sent down to the Underland were wearing body cameras, both of which had an added audio function on them. Their mission was to listen to the meeting and it was James's job to explain any things that came up that they did not already know about.

"Greetings," one of the Overlanders spoke, "my name is Carla and this is my partner, Kyle. We are ambassadors from the United States of America, a nation that resides directly above you. We come in peace."

The camera turned, giving James a view of Luxa. "I am glad to hear it. Regalia has no intentions other than to make peace with our neighbors. As long as you leave our land alone we shall not disturb you."

Carla nodded. "That is agreeable. However, we would like to set up an embassy in Regalia. It is important that we keep in touch, and perhaps we can provide economic benefits for each other as well."

Luxa frowned. "You want this embassy inside Regalia? My people would not be happy with this. There is little space inside the walls as it is. Would it be acceptable if we set up the embassy in the Fount? It is a neighboring city to Regalia and has much more available space for you to set up your embassy."

Carla frowned slightly. "That moves us farther away from Regalia. In times of emergency, we would not be able to contact you." The council members were all beginning to look slightly nervous.

Luxa shook her head. "I am sorry. There's just no place for your embassy inside these walls. If you wish to be closer to Regalia, we could build the embassy right outside these walls."

Carla's eyes narrowed. "That leaves us vulnerable to attacks. Your Majesty, I don't think your argument of not having enough space is valid. I saw plenty of room for a small embassy on my journey into Regalia. I think there's another issue at hand here." Luxa bit her lip, knowing she was trapped. "I think you don't trust us," Carla continued. "And if we don't trust each other from the get go, how can we remain friendly and peaceful allies?"

...

Author's Note

Hey everyone, happy 2017! I hope you all enjoyed my newest chapter. Please leave a review. I would love to hear your thoughts/criticism, good or bad. My goal is to become a better writer to deliver better chapters for you all. A few other things to say:

-How do you think I did with the Helena scene? This is a scene I put extra time in effort into to getting right. When I first started this story, this was one of the first scenes I thought of. I had always wondered what would happen to an Overlander who came to the Underland and didn't find Regalia immediately.

-How do you think this meeting between the Overlanders and the Underlanders will end? I'm eager to hear your theories.

Lastly, as always, thanks to those who reviewed: Vengeous and koipbuiop!


	10. Chapter 10

...

Regalia

...

The air turned icy and Kyle, forgotten and hidden behind his aviator glasses in one corner of the room, smirked slightly. Luxa stuttered, lost for words. "I... I-"

Gregor was internally furious. Those so-called ambassadors... they didn't trust Regalia as much as Regalia didn't trust them! Those ambassadors never came to make peace... they had set up a trap that Luxa had fallen right into. All eyes in the room turned to him as he stood, clearing his throat once. "If I may, may I propose a solution to the matter at hand?" he said through gritted teeth.

Clara turned to him, her eyes piercing. "Oh? And you are?"

"My name is Gregor. Like you, I come from the United States of America. However, I have spent much of my life down below in Regalia. As such, I understand both Regalia's concerns," he nodded to Luxa, "and the United States's concerns." Gregor clenched his fist behind his back. "My proposed solution is thus: Regalia is, as Luxa said, quite crowded. This city is several centuries old and the population has only grown since its founding." He took a deep breath. "I believe the city should be expanded, and the embassy should be included with in this new expanded section of Regalia. However, this will take time and resources, so I hope you understand you won't get your embassy immediately."

Luxa frowned at him, and Gregor saw her internal struggle. But she knew as well as he did that this was her only way out. At least with Gregor's suggestion, they gained time to come up with a plan in case the United States decided to become hostile. "I accept this plan."

Clara smiled broadly, but it didn't reach her eyes. The tables had been turned against her, and if she refused now she would look like the aggressor. "I also accept."

Gregor clapped his hands together. "Then it's settled. I'm glad we could find a compromise both parties could agree to." He sat back down in his seat once more. He looked down at his hands, only to find that they were trembling. That had been close.

Luxa regained control of the meeting. "Now, with that out of the way, I believe we should discuss some of the benefits this alliance will have for both sides..."

When the meeting came to a close two hours later, several terms had been agreed upon. The first was that no more than a hundred United States Overlanders could be present in the Underland at once. The second term was that no Underlander would be permitted to come within a kilometer of the entrance to the Overland. This entrance would serve as a temporary basecamp for the Overlanders until the embassy was built. Thirdly, a non-aggression pact was officially put into effect between the United States of America and Regalia.

Gregor was the most exhausted he'd been since the War of Time. He leaned against the stone wall outside the council room as the council members and United States ambassadors filed out. Luxa had graciously offered hospitality to both Clara and Kyle, but both had declined, electing to be led back to the entrance to the Overland again. Gregor had no idea how they would make it back up, as they had refused to ride the bats. But he decided not to question it.

As the last of the council members disappeared, he finally let his anger out. His rager side had been calling to him every time Clara had opened her mouth, but he refused to let it control him. Even now, he only let a short yell, slamming his hands against the wall and sinking to his knees. How would he be able to continue to play peacekeeper while one side wanted conflict? He had known what those body cameras meant even if Luxa and the other Underlanders didn't. The Underlanders... their politics differed greatly than that of the Overland. It was up to Gregor to stop them at their own game. But it was just him, him against the combined intelligence of the United States Government.

This feeling... it was familiar. Suddenly, he was five years in the past, donning all black armor to fight a giant white rat. The fate of the Underland had been on his shoulders then, and it was again now. Could he do it twice?"

A voice interrupted him from his thoughts. "Gregor?" Gregor looked up and saw Luxa, wearing an expression of genuine concern. "You don't seem well."

He laughed shakily. "I guess I'm not. The frustration of the day catching up to me, that's all."

Luxa put her hands on his shoulders. "You should feel proud. You did well today."

"Thank you. You did well as well." Their eyes met. He was still kneeling on the floor, braced against the wall. Luxa... she had come so far since the War of Time. So much of the pride she had once had was gone. But he knew that she was still just as reluctant to trust as she had been before. A hint of a smile appeared on his lips. If Luxa had been able to let go of her hubris, she could learn to trust as well. And this time, Gregor would be there to help her along the way. Maybe... the fate of the Underland didn't rest entirely on his shoulders after all.

He stood, wrapping Luxa in a hug. Gregor felt Luxa stiffen, then relax. She returned his hug. "I've really missed you."

"I missed you too, Gregor."

...

Outskirts of New York City

...

As the FBI agents wore frowns on their faces and discussed among themselves the result of the meeting, James found himself struggling to restrain a smile. His son had handled that situation incredibly well, being able to wrestle control of the conversation away from Carla and come up with a suitable compromise. Gregor had been so brave.

His son had never really fit in in Virginia. James wasn't blind; he could see that, even if Grace wouldn't. There would come days where he would hardly say a word, disappearing for hours on end. Grace had learned to ignore it, stubbornly believing that he was best off in Virginia. Who knows, maybe he was. Gregor was certainly safer in Virginia than he was down in Regalia.

But there was something in his heart that led him to believe that Gregor would never be happy up above. When he had seen his son speak in front of the American diplomats and the Regalian council, he didn't just see his boy. He saw a man, a man who was determined to defend what he loved. He saw Gregor's stress, the anxiety, the pressure that came with the situation he had been in, but he also saw the passion that brewed right underneath the surface of his words. James couldn't remember any other topic Gregor had spoken about that he had been as passionate about.

James's heart felt heavy. The Underland was Gregor's home now. James often struggled to recall anything about the place other than the year of torture he had spent in the darkness with Gorger, but he knew that Gregor's experiences greatly differed from his. Perhaps if he had made it back to the Overland sooner, perhaps if he had never fallen down the laundry vent at all, he could have avoided this moment. Perhaps Gregor would have never even made it to the Underland. But regardless, it was all in the past now.

It was his job as a father to act in the best interests of his son. As much as he wanted to take Gregor away from that place, he would work to keep him there. There, he could not only be happy, he could also help rescue Grace, Lizzie, and Margaret. He knew if Gregor lost it was unlikely James would ever see the rest of his family again. The more James thought it over, he grew more and more convinced that the FBI would never let ordinary civilians go back into the world knowing what they did.

There was still so much information he hadn't told the FBI agents. He had to play his cards carefully. Feeding the agents false information could end in disaster for him. But it was the only thing he could do. James couldn't stand by and watch the one thing his son truly loved get torn apart.

...

Uncharted Lands

...

Helena was finally retrieved from the cave. A cutter had thrown her over its back and now scurried along through the darkness. She began to laugh feebly. How ridiculous this situation was. How ridiculous! Giants ants! Giant moles! It had to be all a figment of her imagination! Relief entered her heart. That had to be it. Soon she would wake up from this nightmare and go back to the university. She frowned. No, she would wake up back at the research site, ready to discover where the tunnels really led to. She hit her hand against her head a few times. "Wake up!" she told herself. "Wake up! WAKE UP!" Why wouldn't she wake up?

The tunnel began to grow lighter. Helena's pupils shrank, the light almost blinding her. Was that the sunrise? The tunnel opened up, revealing the same giant cavern she had been in with the diggers. Her imagination sure was powerful. Cutters covered every available surface, even the walls and ceiling. However, the crowd parted like the Red Sea to make way for her. In the center of the massive cavern, where the cluster of cutters was the thickest, was the largest ant Helena had seen yet. It was at least ten times as big as the cutters that surrounded it, if not more. Its beady eyes seemed to peer directly into her soul. Helena began to laugh. The cutters around her froze, unsure of how to react. The large ant tilted her head and regarded Helena curiously. Then, it rattled off something Helena could not understand to a nearby ant, and the cutters made a wider berth around Helena. Now the cutter spoke in plain English. "Greetings, Overlander. I am Queen Azel. I apologize for how long you had to wait in that cave. I was dealing with other matters."

Helena knew enough that she couldn't act hostile in this situation. Every figment of her being wanted to lash out in every direction but that make this nightmare turn worse. It was her own impulsiveness that had gotten her into this situation in the first place. She simply nodded once, and found her voice hoarse as she tried to speak. "I... Helena."

"Helena then. I have a proposition for you."

She nodded slowly. "What.. is it?"

"I know you want to go home. And... if you do one small thing for me, I am inclined to do so."

Suddenly, Helena was no longer focused on the Queen anymore. In her mind, she was already back above, away from this mess. "What small thing?" she asked impatiently.

"When I deliver you to the Overlanders, I want you to give this document to them." One of the cutters handed her a neatly wrapped scroll. Helena moved to unwrap it but the Queen cut her off. "However, if you open the document and read it for yourself, or if you tell the Overlanders anything about my colony or your time here, well..." Azel rose up to her full height. "You will prove to me that I cannot trust you. You'll prove to me that I always need to keep my eye on you. You'll be put back in your cave."

Helena trembled so much she dropped the document. All rationality was gone from her brain. She knew she would comply to the Queen's demands. She steadied herself and slowly picked up the document again. "I... agree to your terms."

The Queen nodded once. "Good. Now, you will accompany two of my cutters to the Overlander camp. Tell your people the story that my cutters tell you." Helena nodded in return. The cutter crowd parted once more, and Helena followed two cutters out and away from her prison.

...

Author's Notes

This is one of my longest chapters ever. I hope you all enjoyed it. Now, to address a concern some had last chapter: Yes, I know Luxa is different from how she was in the books. But this is on purpose; she was greatly broken and changed by the rebellion, and much of the backstory will be revealed later on. And as always, many thanks to those who reviewed last chapter- Vengeous and koipbuiop!

-Gyltig


	11. Chapter 11

…

Uncharted Lands

...

The darkness around Helena was silent as the two cutters escorted her towards the Overlander camp. Her captors spoke quickly amongst themselves in a series of clacks Helena couldn't decipher, but she was hardly listening. Her eyes could see nothing but the few feet of rock ahead of her, which made it easier for her to imagine home. She could see it in her mind's eye now. The looming, distant mountain peaks of rural Montana. She was chasing her sister through a sunlit meadow, the grass brushing up against her shins. A lone bird let out a long cry in the distance. Her sister laughed and beckoned her forwards, with a taunting smile. Helena picked up her pace, running as fast as she could. Suddenly, her foot caught a rock and she fell into the soft soil. Her sister stopped in her tracks far ahead of Helena, waiting. Helena pushed herself to her feet, but her sister began to disappear into the long grass. Her parents, watching her from across the meadow, began to fade. She cried out desperately and raised her arm, reaching toward her sister, clawing for a reality that would never be hers again. The cutter queen slowly rose from the grass in front of Helena, smiling as the world collapsed around her. All of a sudden, she was back in the cave. Fear shook her body and she slammed her hands against her stone tomb. The scabs on her fingers broke open once more, blood gushing out from her new wounds. She stared numbly at the blood and felt herself slowly sink backwards, falling hard onto the stone. She looked up at the dark ceiling in despair. Faintly, she began to hear a voice. "Killer… Killer… Killer…" and with a jolt, she was back in reality.

She was flat on the ground, the sharp rock floor digging into her back. Her captors loomed over her body. One nudged her body with an appendage, and she shrieked and rolled away, only to bump into the other. She scrambled to her feet. "DON'T TOUCH ME!"

The first cutter twitched its antennae slightly. "You… cannot do this with Overlanders."

Helena continued to back away from the cutters. "Get away from me you MONSTERS! DON'T TAKE ME BACK." Her heart beat faster and faster inside her chest. This… it all had to be a dream. Giant ants! Giant moles! She laughed, and laughed, and laughed, tears streaming down her cheeks. She sank to her knees, her head pointed upwards towards the ceiling, towards home. She let her thoughts fade and her mind went empty.

The two cutters looked at each other. Almost simultaneously, their antennae twitched and their heads both turned back towards her to stare at her directly. The cutter on the left spoke first. "Helena… you want to return to cave?"

Her pupils shrunk as she looked back at her captors. "No. No. No. Not ever. NO."

She tried to picture home again in her mind's eye, but the memory flickered out of her reach. Moments ago, she had had the memory within in her grasp. Why did it leave her now?

The cutter continued. "If… you wish return, you must treat us friends. You tell Overlanders that moles are ones with cave. Queen Azel rescued from cave. If you not friend now, you go to cave. You not friend with Overlanders, you lose light. If not friend, no home either way, yes?"

Helena's decision was easy. "I'm your friend. I... I'm your friend." The cutter twitched its antennae at her in acknowledgement.

When she stumbled into the Overlander camp hours later, she was instantly surrounded by people whose faces she recognized, but whose names she no longer remembered. Her cutter saviors were surrounded at gunpoint, but Helena firmly planted herself between the weapons and her friends. "Don't harm them!" She shouted. "They saved me from the cave!" The faces murmured in confusion, but the weapons lowered. "The moles!" her voice stammered and caught on itself. "The moles are the true enemy!"

…

Outskirts of New York City

…

Agent Green watched the security footage replay itself over James's shoulder. "That poor girl. Lord knows what she had to go through."

James nodded numbly. The girl, Helena, had been an excitable, curious young cave explorer who had gone missing over a week prior beneath Central Park. Now, she looked the opposite of how she had been described to him. Clothes in shreds, her hair frazzled. Blood on her torn-open fingertips. However, the part of her that stood out the most to James were her eyes. They had a light in them that told James she wasn't entirely there anymore. He knew those eyes well- he'd seen them on himself. Sympathy gripped his heart.

"It's obvious she wasn't telling the truth about the cutters. Look at her. She's all over the place." Agent Green pulled up a digital version of the scroll that had been delivered to the Overlanders from the Queen of the Cutters. "She's trying to use Helena to squeeze an alliance out of us against the Underlanders."

James leaned back in his chair. "So what do the superiors say? How do we respond? Surely we won't let the torture of Helena go unpunished-"

"That's exactly what we're doing."

James's mouth fell open. "How…"

Agent Green sighed. "Look, I don't like it either, but it's war. We can't take action against the ants because we need them on our side. Eventually, Helena will get her justice. This, the President has promised me. But not now."

"So it is war then," James said. Agent Green averted his eyes, and the rest of the agents in the room looked away as well. "I always figured it was as much, even if none of you told me outright. I mean, why would the United States allow a fully sovereign nation to exist underneath its feet? A monarchy at that!" James began to laugh. "You know, when I was being held hostage by the rats all those years ago, that's all I could think about. I wanted to destroy it all and return to the sun above, to my family. I only saw darkness down there, and I'm sure that's all you see too." James stood up and positioned himself so he stood face to face with Agent Green, then continued.

"But Gregor… he found love down there. He found life. He found happiness. He also found a lot of darkness, yes, but he wouldn't have fought a war for the Underland if he didn't believe in it. The Underland has known about the existence of the Overland, of us, for centuries, yet they never once attempted an attack. Peace can be made. There doesn't have to be a war."

Silence. Agent Green's eyes remained fixated on his feet as Agent Blue walked up to James. "James… we have as much choice in this as you do. We are only Agents. We don't make the decisions, we only carry them out. Besides, the existence of the Underland beneath one of our greatest cities is simply too dangerous. It needs to go, whether the Underland has good in it or not."

James shook his head. "'The Underland has never attacked the Overland, nor will it. All they want is to be left alone."

Agent Blue hardly seemed to hear him. "Sometimes, you have to make the tough choices in order to ensure the future of-"

James's eyes hardened as he snapped. "You're scared. You're scared of the unknown, of things changing from the way they used to be. You know that there is no logical reason to destroy the Underland, and so does the President. But-"

"This conversation is over." Agent Green's voice rang out. "You will work for us, or your family's safety is not ensured. You will help us destroy the Underland, whether you like it or not."

James's heart sunk in his chest. His last hopes for peace faded, and a bitterness grew in his heart. He was once again faced with an impossible choice- his family, or his morals. However, he found that he already knew the answer to that question. James was determined do his best to save both, but if it came down to it, he would choose his family over the Underland and his morals.

…

Regalia

…

The construction of the new section of Regalia had already begun. Gregor stood atop the wall surrounding the main city, watching the first bricks being laid into the ground. It would be several months before they finished. Next to him, Clara stood observing her own men, who had arranged themselves in a loose ring around the Regalian workers with their guns out, ready for action in case anyone tried to interfere with the construction. Gregor did his best to ignore the ambassador, but it wasn't long before she broke the silence.

"Gregor. What you've done for this place really is admirable. Not only in the war against Bane, but also helping us reach a peaceful middle ground the other day. Thank you."

Gregor didn't spare her a glance. "Thanks." he said abruptly.

The awkward silence that followed didn't last as long as Gregor hoped. "The United States government sees you as the middle ground between them and Regalia. We were hoping you would come over to the Overlander camp soon to discuss a more in-depth treaty that you can propose to Queen Luxa afterwards."

Gregor frowned. "Shouldn't Regalia have representatives in such a meeting? You said it yourself- I am the middle ground. I'm not fit to represent Regalia in such a meeting."

Frustration flashed across Clara's face briefly before it disappeared as soon as it had come. "Of course. But I'm afraid Queen Luxa won't be able to be reasoned with. She would have caused a conflict had you not intervened."

Gregor laughed, feeling his temper beginning to get the better of him. "Clara, had the situation escalated to conflict, you would have been just as guilty as her. We're done here. I'm not meeting you in the Overlander camp. The only meeting I'm willing to attend is one where both sides are fairly represented."

Clara took a step closer to Gregor. "I think your feelings for Luxa are getting in the way of your decision-making here. What's the harm in just hearing us out? You don't have to agree to anything. You seem to be awfully comfortable talking to Luxa behind closed doors. If you truly do represent the middle ground, how come the United States isn't afforded the same luxury?"

Gregor felt his vision start to fragment in anger. Almost instantly, he saw a dozen openings he could strike on Clara. He forced the anger down. Now was not the time to get angry. "I have been on many adventures with Luxa. I trust her with my life. No offense, but I barely know you, or anyone in the Overlander camp. Let me talk to someone from my family. Then, I might be more willing to have that meeting you were talking about."

Clara froze. Her mouth opened and closed and for several seconds, she was lost for words. Gregor frowned. "What's wrong?"

Clara recovered. "Nothing. I'll contact my superiors at once to send your father down to speak to you."

Gregor took an aggressive step forwards, towering over Clara. "You did something to my family, didn't you." The terrified look on her face said it all. Gregor saw his vision fragment again as he took another step forwards. "Of course you did. They are valuable hostages. You needed leverage on me if I didn't comply." He laughed a hollow laugh. "Kidnapping innocent civilians. How _noble_ of the great American government. DID YOU HONESTLY THINK IT WOULD WORK?" Gregor screamed at Clara. "THREATENING MY FAMILY WILL ONLY MAKE ME HATE YOU MORE THAN I ALREADY DO." Anger blazing in his eyes, he closed the distance between him and Clara in an instant. Eyes wide, the ambassador stumbled backwards. With a cry, she tripped, her legs falling out from underneath her as she fell over the side of the wall. Gregor rushed to the edge, anger gone, arm extended, but it was too late. A moment passed before her body burst apart on the rocks below.

All was silent. The workers and the Overlanders below were all frozen in place. It gave Gregor enough time to quickly duck behind a stone pillar on the wall before the first shots rung out. Screams came from below as innocent Regalian workers were slaughtered by the guns of the American soldiers. Gregor felt the bullets impact the stone wall behind him, the impact vibrating his very core. Guilt ate at him. It was his fault. Every death from now until the end of the war, it was his fault.

How easily a war could begin.

…

Author's Notes

It's been a long time since I last updated. No excuses from me. I was simply unmotivated. Anyways, here's the long-awaited chapter. I promise you there will be another update, even if it's simply to publish my notes for how the story will end. Many, many thanks to everyone who reviewed over the long hiatus: frostking104, Clytuis (Guest), Defender of the Dogma, and Vengeous!

-Gyltig


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